With an all-star ensemble cast performing one of the classics of literature, Big Finish’s adaptation of King Lear is out now.

In an ancient Britain of warring nobles and sibling rivalries, power is a precarious thing. When the ageing King Lear declares that he will divide his kingdom in three to prevent future strife, he unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events that will unravel into treachery, horror, conflict and death.

Renowned for its pathos and poetry as much as for its savage violence, Shakespeare’s wildest tragedy remains as thrilling and relevant today as when it was first performed: King Lear is a tale of politics, ambition, greed, vanity, betrayal, love, pride, madness, war and bloody vengeance.

The phenomenal cast includes David Warner (Titanic, Tron) as King Lear, Louise Jameson (Doctor Who, The Omega Factor) as Goneril, Lisa Bowerman (Doctor Who, Casualty) as Regan, Finty Williams (Mrs Brown, Cranford) as Cordelia, Raymond Coulthard (Hotel Babylon, The English Patient) as Edmund, Gwilym Lee (Midsomer Murders, Jamestown) as Edgar, Paul Shelley (Secret Army, Polanski's Macbeth) as The Earl of Kent, Tony Millan (Citizen Smith, Alexei Sayle's Stuff) as The Earl of Gloucester, Ray Fearon (Harry Potter, Beauty and the Beast) as The Duke of Cornwall, Nicholas Pegg (Doctor Who, Doc Martin) as The Duke of Albany, Mike Grady (Last of the Summer Wine, Citizen Smith) as The Fool, Trevor Cooper (Star Cops, Wizards vs. Aliens) as Oswald, and Barnaby Edwards (Doctor Who, Children of Men) as The King of France.

Barnaby Edwards, director, shared his thoughts on this one-of-a-kind production for Big Finish: “King Lear is a magnificent, brutal, heartbreaking, elemental masterpiece. In my opinion, it jostles Hamlet for the top spot in Shakespeare’s canon. It’s at once domestic (fathers and their offspring, brothers, sisters, husbands and wives) and universal (the abnegation of authority, the toppling of kingdoms, the collapse of order resulting in a descent into chaos).

“One man – Lear – makes a single, selfish decision which sets in motion a series of events which have catastrophic consequences for his family, his friends and his kingdom. The themes are arrestingly relevant to the world in which we find ourselves today."

King Lear is available now at £16.99 on CD or £14.99 on download. Don’t forget that all Big Finish CD purchases unlock a download exclusive on the Big Finish app.

And if you’re a fan of this Shakespearian release, don’t forget that we also have Hamlet starring Alexander Vlahos as the Danish prince. Try a free sample here. 

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